RoSPA Press Office : Press Release
May 15, 2003
MINISTER TO HEAR PLEA FOR TEAMWORK TO STOP ACCIDENTS
Greater commitment to working as partners is needed from everyone involved in occupational health and safety if deaths, injuries and ill-health are to be reduced, delegates at a national conference organised by RoSPA will be told next week.
Nick Brown, the Government minister responsible for health and safety at work, will launch the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents national occupational safety congress in Birmingham on Monday (May 19).
Roger Bibbings, RoSPA Occupational Safety Adviser, said “If we are to have strong and effective health and safety management, it needs people at all levels from the Government to the shop floor to be prepared to work with one another.”
The Society has lined up a list of top speakers including George Cox, Director General of the Institute of Directors, John Edmonds, General Secretary of the GMB union, and Kate Timms, Deputy Director General of the Health and Safety Executive.
The four-day event on Strengthening the Team Approach is being staged at the NEC in association with ScottishPower.
Despite major improvements in working conditions, about 25,000 people leave the workforce each year because of work-related injury or ill-health. Around 350 are killed in work-related accidents, one million injured and there are 2.1 million cases or ill-health caused or made worse by work.
Delegates will hear how organisations can only improve if they give an effective lead to safety management and there is real participation from workers and their representatives.
Topics covered will include team-based target-setting, open reporting of accidents to whistleblowing, team-based learning from accidents and changing cultures and behaviour. A day will be devoted to health issues such as rehabilitation and tackling drink and drugs.
Roger Bibbings said: “This congress will provide stimulating ideas and challenges to help everyone involved in health and safety to work more closely and effectively with their partners whether in government, in national level-organisations or on the shop floor. Businesses can only achieve better health and safety if they enlist the help of partners such as contractors, insurers, suppliers and trade associations.
“Health and safety is something you can only do with people, not to them.”
